Featured: Sixteen University of Texas Rio Grande Valley students have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships this year that will take them around the world for Study Abroad courses this summer. The students are from across the Valley. Countries in this year’s studies abroad include Ireland, Brazil, Germany, China, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Peru and the United Kingdom. Shown are UTRGV Gilman recipients, professors and program administrators. From left, front row: Dr. Yanina Hernández, Lecturer, Writing & Language Studies; Lizette Leal, Specialist, International Programs & Partnerships; Raisa Ramírez; Alexandra Torres; Dr. Ping Xu, Assistant Professor of Art; Dr. Robert Gilbert, Associate Professor of art; Emily Rivas; Stephanie Torres; Myrine Barreiro-Arévalo; and Lorelei López. From left, back row: Maraya García; Samantha Bustillos; Dr. Robert Bradley, Associate Professor of Art; Gerardo Segundo; Alan Earhart, Director of International Programs & Partnerships; Ricardo Carrillo; Omar Nedzelsky Jr; Samuel Cavazos; and Dr. Robert Hoppens, Associate Professor of History. Not pictured are Gilman recipients Kristopher Price, Valeria Treviño, Jose García and Raul Martínez. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

Featured, from left: Letty Rodríguez, Escrow Officer/Sales Representative, Edwards Abstract & Title Co.; Elva Jackson Garza, Vice President & Marketing Manager, Edwards Abstract & Title Co.; Keely Lewis; Mayor Richard Molina; and Byron Jay Lewis, President & CEO, Edwards Abstract & Title Co. The area leaders posed for this portrait following the conclusion of the 14th Annual State of Real Estate Forum, coordinated by Edwards Abstract & Title Co., which took place on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. The State of Real Estate Forum is presented as a public service of Edwards Abstract and Title Co., and focuses on the national, state and local economic outlook.

Featured: Conrad Brown, Assistant Director, Ambulatory Services, SED, representing South Texas Health System, and Mayor Richard Molina led the traditional ribbon-cutting during the grand opening ceremony for the hospital system’s open house and health fair event held on Saturday, January 6, 2018 of STHS ER Monte Cristo, a new stand-alone emergency room located at 3615 N. Interstate 69-C in north Edinburg. The facility is providing 24-hour emergency services year-round, and is staffed and equipped with the same diagnostic technology available in STHS’s hospital-based emergency rooms. The new STHS location is the first in north Edinburg and will serve approximately 60,000 residents in the area. From left, first row, are: Fabian Borrego, Market CFO, STHS; Martha Pérez, House Supervisor, STHS; Conrad Brown, Assistant Director, Ambulatory Services, SED, STHS; and Mayor Richard Molina. Other hospital officials in attendance were Daniel Caldwell, CEO, McAllen Heart Hospital; Doug Matney, Regional Vice President of South Texas Health System; Jennifer Garza, CEO, Edinburg Regional Medical Center/Edinburg Children’s Hospital; and Lance Ames, COO, Edinburg Regional Medical Center/Edinburg Children’s Hospital. STHS ER Monte Cristo, which represents an $8.6 million private investment, was among the more than $271 million in construction activities that took place in Edinburg in 2017.

Photograph Courtesy SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM

Total construction activities in Edinburg for the year – January through December 2017 – including more than $8 million for the month of December, were valued at more than $271 million, compared with more than $209 million during 2016, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The building permits do not include the value of the land for the homes and buildings. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg, through the Code Enforcement Department, to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits. The top categories in Edinburg for 2017, which led to the total figure of $271,400,571, were: $84,537,000 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine); $61,972,808 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction; $59,715,790; Single-Family Residences New Construction; $37,456,294; Commercial New Construction; $13,180,161; Commercial Alterations; $8,653,359 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine); and $5,885,159 – Residential Alterations. During 2017, building permits were issued for 496 new single-family residences, valued at $59,715,700, and building permits were issued for 325 multi-family residences, representing 938 units, valued at $61,972,808. The Edinburg EDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of City Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez as President, Edinburg School Board Trustee Miguel “Mike” Farías as Vice-President, Isael Posadas, P.E., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Julio César Carranza and Noé Sauceda, Ph.D., as Members.

Featured, from left: Mayor Pro Tem J.R. Betancourt; Harvey Rodríguez, Jr., Vice President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Elías Longoria, Jr., Secretary/Treasurer, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and City Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr. The local leaders were in attendance on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 for the State of the City Address by Mayor Richard García, held in the recently-opened IMAX theatre in Edinburg. “Success attracts success, and major developments such as this venue where we are, is one such example,” García said. “We are proud to be the home to the only IMAX theatre south of San Antonio. This IMAX is a $5 million investment, creating 50 jobs, and contributing a riveting movie experience.”

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Featured, from left: City Councilmember David Torres and his wife, Ellie Torres, who currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District; and Ambrosio “Amos” Hernández, M.D., Mayor of Pharr, on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 for the State of the City Address by Mayor Richard García, held in the recently-opened $5 million IMAX theatre in Edinburg. Torres also is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. Mayor Richard García predicted that the construction activities in Edinburg are sure to break last year’s mark. “In 2016, the Planning and Zoning Department issued $209 in construction project permits, up from $139.5 million in 2015, $120.5 million in 2014, and $123 million in 2013,” the mayor reported. “We are on track to exceed $209 million by the end of this year.”

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Featured: City Councilmember Richard Molina and his wife, Dalia (shown smiling at the camera), take a photograph with an unidentified resident outside the recently-opened $5 million IMAX theater in Edinburg. The Molinas along with the Edinburg City Council and the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation joined several hundred area residents on Wednesday, May 12, 2017, for the State of the City Address by Mayor Richard García. Total construction activities in Edinburg during February 2017 reached more than $9.2 million – almost the exact total for the February 2016 figure – with the construction of new homes leading the way, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Year-t0-date, however, as a result of a construction permit valued at $80 million for the city-owned Bert Ogden Arena being issued in January 2017, total construction in the city for the first two months of 2017 is valued at more than $102.6 million – more than double the $45.4 million combined level for January and February 2016.

Featured, from left: Elva Jackson Garza, Vice President & Marketing Manager, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Byron Jay Lewis, President & CEO, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Guy S. Huddleston, III, Senior Vice President & Corporate Ambassador, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Mike Overly, Executive Vice President/COO/CFO, Edwards Abstract and Title Co.; Edinburg Mayor Richard García; Dr. Ted C. Jones, Ph.D., Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Stewart Title Guaranty Co.; D.D. Hoffman, Senior Vice President & Corporate Ambassador, Edwards Abstract & Title Co., and Brandon Linscomb, Vice President/Agency Services Manager, Stewart Title Guaranty Company. This portrait shot was taken on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance during the 13th Annual Real Estate Forum, which drew almost 300 real estate professionals and business leaders, and which was hosted by Edwards Abstract and Title Co., whose headquarters is in Edinburg. Garza is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. García is the President of the Edinburg EDC Board of Directors.

A group photo during the H-E-B Distinguished Chair in Diabetes and Genomics for the South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute luncheon on Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2017 at the McAllen Country Club in McAllen, Texas. From L to R: Dr. Havidan Rodriguez, Winell Herron, Dr. Sarah Wililams-Blangero, Linda Tovar, Kelly Scrivner-Cronin.UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy

Photograph By ROBERTO GONZÁLEZ

Featured, from left: Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Winell Herron, Vice President of Public Affairs, Diversity & Environmental Affairs, H-E-B Grocery Company LP; Dr. Sarah Williams-Blangero (seated), Director, South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute (STDOI); Linda Tovar, H-E-B Manager of Public Affairs, Border Region; and Dr. Kelly Scrivner-Cronin, Vice President for Advancement, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Williams-Blangero, a genetics and infectious diseases expert, is Director of STDOI. UTRGV leaders on Thursday, March 9, 2017, named Williams-Blangero as the Endowed Chair of the H-E-B Distinguished Chair in Diabetes and Genomics for the South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute. Rodríguez is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.